My path to public office was unexpected. As a career violent crimes prosecutor in Anne Arundel County for 23 years, the Circuit Court judges chose me to replace the retiring state’s attorney in 2013. I was the first woman state’s attorney and hope to be the first woman elected in the 94-year history of the office.

Crime fighting is nonpartisan and this must be a nonpartisan office. The state’s attorney is a manager and a prosecutor. As state’s attorney, I took steps to improve what was then one of the most respected offices in Maryland. I won grant funding to fight gun violence, established a community outreach program that continues to this day, and upgraded technology. I added a Drug Court to treat addicts and had a Gang Violence Task Force to monitor and deter gang activity. I personally prosecuted and won two homicide cases while managing a $9.3 million budget and 110 employees.

I remained committed to seeking justice for crime victims after the 2014 election. As chief of the Special Victims Unit in Baltimore I supervise 22 attorneys prosecuting sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and murder. I was president of the Anne Arundel Bar Association in 2016 and won an award for service to homeless youth. I serve on numerous committees and boards dedicated to protecting victims of abuse.

I was asked to tell you why I am running for state’s attorney. That’s easy.

I cannot sit by while the office becomes a partisan place where my opponent awarded his political consultant a high-paying no-show, no-work county job for winning an election.

I cannot turn my back when nearly half the staff — mostly women — were fired or forced out of a hostile workplace infected with scandal.

I cannot stand by while Wes Adams blows his budget by more than $1 million for non-crime fighting purposes like unauthorized raises, inflated salaries, and campaign-style giveaways with his name on them. Million-dollar taxpayer bailouts are not acceptable for elected officials. Adams grossly mismanaged the county’s largest law firm – the State’s Attorney’s Office. I did a better job and will do a better job again.

Our county suffered a 300 percent increase in opioid overdoses and deaths during my opponent’s term. The SAFE Stations program, a good start for matching addicts with counseling, has not changed long-term outcomes to date. The Ordnance Road detention facility has empty beds that could serve as a rehabilitation program for those who suffer from addiction. Prosecutors must be trained to represent the community, hold violent offenders accountable and offer non-violent and youthful offenders a chance at rehabilitation and diversion.

I cannot ignore that thousands of cases are dropped each year, including 1 in 4 DUI cases and 90 percent of drugged driving cases, because prosecutors are no longer trained and are unprepared to face veteran defense attorneys. County roads are more dangerous because impaired drivers don’t face consequences.

The fatal crash deaths of Janet Stomps in Glen Burnie and David Decheubel in Edgewater reveal my opponent is unwilling or unable to get justice for victims’ families. Just this month Taneisha Smith, a woman who crashed into an Annapolis home after smoking PCP, escaped prosecution because the office didn’t produce critical evidence at trial. Smith walked out of court and is back on our roads. This is unacceptable.

We must demand more from elected officials. Voters should evaluate the status quo and compare the qualifications of the people competing for office. My record of success is clear. My opponent failed us.

I am running to restore experience, effectiveness and ethics to the State’s Attorney’s Office. I will hold offenders accountable, rehabilitate those who can be helped, and protect the community from crime. As state’s attorney I will speak and act for Anne Arundel County’s citizens. I will make our families, roads and communities safer.